Couple of quick tips: vacuuming and glass cleaning
by Eric SchusterVacuuming out an interior can make or break a “clean” interior! What do I mean, well…
Instead of just gliding the vacuum around the interior of the car, use a boars hair brush that will allow you to get into the crevices, between the seats, and down in the hard to reach places that need some agitation. Sure you can buy a long skinny attachment for the vacuum, but that only works for the loose dust, not the stuff that has been sitting there for a while. Something like this brush works really well.
Also, don’t take the floormats out and put the on the ground outside the car unless you plan on vacuuming the dirt from the underside of the mat as well! In fact, what I do is vacuum the mat, then put it on the seat, then vacuum the floor and surrounding area, then put the mat back in its proper place and proceed to vacuum the seat. No new dirt place in the car!
As for the glass, I use meguiars glass cleaner at about 8:1 and a microfiber towel that is no longer used on paint. You can also use glass towels here.
I will first spray the cleaner on directly on the window and do the outside, flip the towel over and remove the streaks if there are any. Then I will open the door and do the inside of the window without adding anymore cleaner (unless needed obviously) with the side of the towel that is less damp. This makes streaking less likely. After I go around the car with this process, I’ll take a fresh microfiber towel (but not a new one because those will lint on the glass) and wipe the insides and outsides one more time for streak-free and cleaned glass!
Hope someone finds those processes useful!!!!
Great write up Eric. Have you ever used the old newspaper vs. microfiber for streakless glass?
Dave
To be honest, I never have used newspaper. I have used a number of towels though…microfiber, glass specific ones, and those have always worked out for me. Plus I dont get a newspaper so there is never one around.
Just a thought, be cautious when using non-paint safe towels on the interior glass with tint for obvious reasons. Seems like commonsense, but it wasn’t mentioned and that can sometimes be a bad thing!
yeah Im not talking about trashed MF towels, just ones that have been used a few times in the past and/or are no longer safe on paint to use. ALWAYS CHECK YOUR TOWELS.
I’m new to using microfiber towels. What exactly do I need to check for?
Thanks for the article Eric.
I’ve never thought using newspaper to wipe glass clean was a good idea. The paper is abrasive and some of the inks are also a bit abrasive too. I like to use products specifically designed for what you are trying to accomplish. You can use Coca Cola to clean your toilets and battery terminals but battery terminal cleaner and toilet bowl cleaner are cheaper to use.
Just my $.02.
Eric, I have a glass cleaning regimen that is similar to yours.
I use a horizontal motion for cleaning the exterior glass, and use a vertical motion for the interior glass. Cleaning the glass in that way allows me to see any streaks once I pull the car out of the garage t do a visual inspection, and then know whether which side of the glass it is on so I can correct it.
I’ve been using well-used MF’s on glass forever and they still seem to shed/lint. What I’m seeing is fine crystalline dots left behind. At first I thought it must be fabric softener or something but I only use very mild laundry soap when I clean them. I find the thin (non quilted/waffled) Wipeall paper towel we have at my dealership works awesome, but I’m no pro.
Eric:
The concept of dry-brushing carpets of fabrics during the vacuuming process is time-consuming , but very necessary if you want to achieve a clean carpet/fabric before shampooing. It much easier to remove sand/dirt/debris when it’s dry than when it’s wet. I know that you suggest using a boars hair brush. DI now sells a smaller vinyl-fabric cleaning braush that works very well for dry brushing. One thing you will need to do if you are working older or well-used cars is to clean the bristles of the brush as loose strands of carpet/fabric material will become imbedded inside the bristles, much like a hair brush. I use a large sewing needle to “comb out” those strands and pull them out from the bristles, restoring the nap and flexibility of the brush bristles. Don’t be afraid to use a little elbow grease on the carpet /fabric. It’s suprising what it will bring to the surface of the fabric that can easily be removed by the vacuum.
Also,if your carpet/fabric has pet hair on it, see the tip in August’s Ask-A-Pro on how to remove it. It’s great advice.